Andrew Kavich’s Post

With Independence Day being celebrated tomorrow in the US, it was a fitting time to revisit the words of the Declaration of Independence. As famously stated in the Declaration: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness." In the words of Thomas Jefferson: "Let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them." Wishing my network a very Happy and Safe 4th of July holiday. Photo: Statue of George Washington at the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street, New York. Federal Hall is the site of the first capitol building of the United States of America under the newly ratified Constitution, and where George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States.

"WE, THEREFORE, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor." - From The Declaration of Independence (docs.house.gov version). Happy Independence Day, Majors!

Liberty and Order: The First American Party Struggle - OA PDF: https://lnkd.in/gicRuSxk Liberty and Order is an ambitious anthology of primary source writings: letters, circulars, debate transcriptions, House proceedings, and newspaper articles that document the years during which America’s Founding generation divided over the sort of country the United States was to become. With this significant collection, the reader receives a deeper understanding of the complex issues, struggles, and personalities that made up the first great party battle and that continue to shape our representative government today. Within three years of the inauguration of the new federal Constitution, America’s revolutionary leaders divided bitterly over the policies most appropriate for the infant nation. Within five years, two clashing groups were winning thousands of ordinary voters to their side. Within adecade, the collision had resulted in a full-blown party war. There has never been another struggle like it. These were the first true parties in the history of the world—the first, that is, to mobilize and organize a large proportion of a mass electorate for a national competition. More than that, these parties argued at a depth and fought with a ferocity that has never been repeated. The Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans—the friends of order and the friends of liberty as they sometimes called themselves—were both convinced that more than office, more than clashing interests, and more, indeed, than even national policy in the ordinary sense were fundamentally at stake in their quarrel. Their struggle, they believed, was over nothing less profound than the sort of future the United States would have, the sort of nation America was to be. Each regarded the other as a serious threat to what was not yet called the American way. And from their own perspectives, both were right. This first great party battle is, of course, completely fascinating for its own sake. Between the framing of the Constitution and the War of 1812, the generation that had made the world’s first democratic revolution set about to put its revolutionary vision into practice on a national stage. #Liberty #Order #AmericanFounding #FoundingFathers #AmericanParties #PartySystem #Federalist #AntiFederalists #Jeffersonian #Hamiltonian #UnitedStates #nationbuilding #politicalrhetoric

As we celebrate the Fourth of July and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, my interest has turned to our Founding Fathers. I marvel that those courageous men and women were willing to sacrifice lives for the glorious cause of America. Nine of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, died from wounds or hardships from the Revolutionary War. This long and bloody war lasted eight and a half years and resulted in the death of 25,000 Americans, or 1% of the population. America’s struggle for freedom continued to be heart-wrenching. Eighty-five years later, at Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address (March 4,1861) he pled: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. Five weeks later on April 12, 1861 America became engaged in the Civil War. 620,000+ American soldiers (or 2% of the population) and countless more civilians died as a result of this conflict. This July 4th represents the 248th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. America is engaged in an election year that is full of discord, incivility with two candidates who are past their prime and lack the character and skills to address our most important challenges. May we dial down the vitriolic language of the campaign and respectfully discuss the key issues of our time. If we don’t change how we govern this country, the American people will once again suffer and our adversaries will rejoice.

I watched President Biden’s closing speech this evening; very well written! Hats off to the speech writer 👏. What an impressive journey in public service! As an American by choice, all I could say at the end of the speech: Thank you President Biden for your years of public service 🙏. Yet, in as much as I am grateful for your years of service, I could only give you a “P” (Present) for your years in the Oval Office. You said in the speech that you kept your “commitment to have an administration that looks like America.” Respectfully, NO YOU DID NOT. 1) Your administration looked more like a caricature of America than real America. 2) Your administration, or operatives in your party, will be remembered for trampling upon the constitution, clamping down on freedoms, silencing free speech, and canceling dissent. 3) Your administration failed at the prospects of world peace, or at least to mitigate the wars that started on your watch... instead, you hailed those wars as beneficial to the US economy. 4) Under your watch, prices of essentials are the highest they’ve ever been: houses, goods, and services have become expensive beyond the capability of the middle class to afford, and income did not increase enough to keep up. 5) China may not have surpassed the United States yet, but we are no longer now that “strength which in old days moved earth and heaven”… I can go on and on listing all the depressing things that come to mind when I reflect about your years in the White House, but I’d rather reclaim the hope. “… that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, […] strong in will […] To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” These heroic hearts shall correct the course and put, again, America on the path of goodness and excellence, humility in service and superiority in values 🇺🇸. I am confident that the American voters will make the right choice this time and restore America’s majesty, greatness, and high standing at home and in the world. Wishing you, and your administration team, a happy and healthy retirement. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 #Biden #speech #OvalOffice #JoeBiden #President #POTUS #WhiteHouse #America #USA #endofcareer #farewell

"By calling America 'an already dead regime' I, of course, don’t mean that the country called the United States of America no longer exists. I mean that its soul has been drained out, even as the body politic lives on. Celebrating America as it is now and pretending that it is, in any real or meaningful sense, the heir to the work of the Founding Fathers is more than a stretch. In what sense may we say that the United States of America, in its current form, is connected to the regime born out of the American Revolution?" "America may still wear the parchment-colored vestments of our founding, but it doesn’t adhere to the same political creed or even worship at the same altar as its founders. Some forms of the old Constitution may still apply—we still recognize only three branches of government, for example. But the truth is that our real government is composed of thousands of nameless, faceless, unelected career bureaucrats advancing an ever-leftward press for more control of the citizens." "For those like me who look back upon America’s founding and see in it principles that were worthy of defending because they were worthy of free and self-governing men, there is little to do but mourn its passing. We can and should remember that regime. We may even be hopeful of a potential resurrection. But we cannot, rightly, call this doppelganger going by the name 'United States of America' the same regime as the regime of our founders. Celebrating the occasion of America’s birth as if it had not already slipped away and become something else is to take part in a lie." ~ Julie Ponzi, managing editor at 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴: 𝘈 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. https://lnkd.in/ehc4wrCV

America has always been divided as a nation. That’s one of the great freedoms and unique qualities of this country. We aren’t ruled by a singular belief or ideal. The crucial components of that freedom has always been centered around our abilities to work through those differences and find ‘common ground’. But ‘common ground’ requires common sense and common decency. We seem to have lost our way when it comes to these two vital aspects of our American values. During his 1965 SOTU address, President Johnson stated “Though total agreement between the Executive and the Congress is impossible, total respect is important”. The same notion must apply to all Americans. We shouldn’t rely some utopian view, that our political leaders will somehow unite all Americans. In fact, we should never hope to be united…we should only strive. Our divisions are what our democracy is built on. Our differences are what make America great. I hope we can restore our respect for one another despite those divisions and differences…that is where we are broken. We must return to civility and respect for one another…common decency and common sense. If we can’t model these behaviors and teach our children to do the same, all is lost. Happy Independence Day to ALL and God Bless America!

From the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…” At times, the U.S. has lived up to those lofty ideals and we have accomplished many great things during our history. We are the richest country in the history of the world and we have liberated millions of people around the world from tyranny. We helped save the world from fascism during World War II and brought about the end of the Cold War. We should be proud of those achievements. But there have been times in our history when we haven’t lived up to the lofty ideals spelled out in the Declaration of Independence. The U.S. status as a “shining city on a hill” and a beacon of hope for the rest of the world is up to us. We must pledge ourselves to continue working hard to make sure our country lives up to the ideals we were founded upon. That is the true meaning of patriotism. As Barack Obama posted on Facebook on Juneteenth in 2020: “In fact, it’s patriotic to believe that we can make America better. We’re strong enough to be self-critical. We’re strong enough to look upon our imperfections and strive, together, to make this country we love more perfect…So no matter our color or our creed, no matter where we come from or who we love, today is a day to find joy in the face of sorrow and to hold the ones we love a little closer. And tomorrow is a day to keep marching.” Have a safe and happy July 4th!

In 2024, Neither Trump nor Biden Can Win … and Kennedy Won’t Lose! (part 1 of 2) In 1997, historians William Strauss and Neil Howe wrote a National Bestseller, The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy - What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America’s Next Rendezvous with Destiny. Sometime before 2025, America will pass through a great gate in history commensurate with the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II. Here we are! Measures of national happiness and proud to be an American have fallen to record lows. The government is gridlocked. Spending is out of control. The health of the nation is in peril. But America is about to change … dramatically. She is going to clean house and restore the indomitable spirit and limitless ingenuity of her people. The coming 2024 election will be a watershed moment when America turns the page … because four more years of dysfunction is no longer tolerable. Here’s the story. (part one) 

As we gather today to celebrate the birth of our nation, we should take a moment to reflect on the values and principles that have shaped the United States of America. July 4th is a time to remember the bravery, vision, and dedication of those who fought for our freedom and laid the foundation for a nation built on liberty and justice for all. However, as we honor our history, it's crucial to recognize the challenges we face in upholding these ideals. In recent times, it seems we are straying from our moral compass. The media, once a pillar of truth, often manipulates our perceptions, blinding us to the realities around us. We find ourselves bombarded with misinformation and divisive narratives, which threaten the very fabric of our society. We must ask ourselves: Are we standing up for what is right, or are we justifying actions that contradict our values for personal gain? It is imperative that we confront and oppose evil, wherever it may arise. This Independence Day, let us pledge to seek truth, promote justice, and protect the freedoms for which so many have sacrificed. Our strength as a nation lies not in the power we wield, but in our unwavering commitment to the principles of equality, integrity, and compassion. Let's come together to reaffirm our dedication to these values and work towards a future where truth prevails, and justice is served. Happy Independence Day! May we continue to strive for a better, more united America.